Fuel nozzles are used to deliver a fuel/air mixture to combustors of gas turbine engines. The discharge end of such fuel nozzles and especially the air swirler thereof is exposed to elevated temperatures and to the harsh environment inside the combustor, and, is therefore subject to fretting and oxidation damage. Conventionally, once the damage on the air swirler of the fuel nozzle becomes too severe, the entire nozzle must be replaced. Due to the geometric configuration of the nozzles and the materials that are typically used for such nozzles, the manufacturing costs associated with producing these fuel nozzle can be relatively high.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a solution for reducing the costs associated with replacing damaged fuel nozzles that are used in gas turbine engines.